Flying an American flag, its curved metal blades turning slowly in the coastal breeze, Guillermo “Bill” Ramirez’s wind turbine has generated a little bit of energy and a lot of attention.

The 35-foot-tall Skystream 3.7 – a small wind turbine marketed for residential use – overlooks Palos Verdes Drive East from Ramirez’s fruit tree-filled backyard. Neighbors and passers-by have been calling Rancho Palos Verdes City Hall to ask about the electricity-producing turbine since it began spinning last month.

The inquiries led to a code violation letter from municipal staff to Ramirez, who put up the turbine to power his home without seeking city permission.

If he had sought permits, he would have learned that Rancho Palos Verdes does not allow wind energy systems on residential lots.

Now, facing an order to lower the $15,000 turbine, Ramirez is gearing for a fight. Prompted by his case, the City Council is slated to consider whether to change its policy on wind systems.

“I’ll cross my fingers because I want my windmill,” said Ramirez, a recent convert to the renewable energy cause. “It’s green and clean for planet Earth.”

Under a 2002 ordinance, Rancho Palos Verdes currently allows, with a permit, small wind systems in certain commercial and institutional zones – but not in neighborhoods such as Ramirez’s.

“It was not envisioned as a potential use within the residential area,” said City Manager Carolyn Lehr. “It is unusual, and that’s why it was not envisioned.”

Now a proposal set to go before the council would consider expanding areas where turbines are permitted to include residential zones.

(The item was set for tonight’s council meeting, which was canceled late Monday due to a lack of quorum. It is uncertain when the wind turbine proposal will be heard, city officials said.)

The council could dismiss the notion – meaning Ramirez’s turbine would be categorically not allowed. Or the panel could endorse research for a new code amendment, which would go through the Planning Commission before returning to the council.

City staff will be asking “if the benefit of allowing a single property owner to have this (turbine) is worth changing the character of the neighborhood,” said Leza Mikhail, an associate planner with Rancho Palos Verdes.

The conflict comes as alternative power sources are in the news, with President Barack Obama hitting the road this week to promote his energy agenda. His federal stimulus package contained tax breaks of up to 30 percent of the cost for individuals who purchase wind turbines.

Locally, the spinning structures have ruffled a few feathers in the past year.

In July, a plan for a turbine at Hickory Elementary School in Torrance was shelved after neighbors complained. Then, in January, the Los Angeles school district agreed to postpone plans – unpopular with many residents – for 36 turbines at a new high school campus in San Pedro.

But last month, planning commissioners in environmentally minded Hermosa Beach supported the creation of a resolution that would allow residents to erect turbines with a special permit. Following an environmental review, the ordinance could be approved in coming months.

“It’s a new trend that residents are looking to explore, but zoning laws don’t really allow them,” Mikhail said. “When you have views at stake, a lot comes into play.”

Ramirez’s case represents a first for Rancho Palos Verdes, where residents treasure their ocean vistas and can force neighbors to cut down vegetation if it blocks views.

Ramirez said he has the support of his neighbors on Clevis Road, a small cul-de-sac off Palos Verdes Drive West. A resident across the street from him did complain about the turbine, however.

Ramirez first began experimenting with “green” power nearly three years ago, when he installed solar panels to run the water heater in his backyard swimming pool. Eventually he installed 18 panels on his roof.

Intent on harnessing the wind, he ordered a system from Southwest Windpower Co., an Arizona-based company that makes small turbines for home use.

According to the company’s Web site, a minimum average of 8 mph wind on a site of about 1 acre is recommended. Ramirez’s lot is about a quarter-acre, and wind speeds average about 7.8 mph at the Torrance airport, the nearest federal wind data collection point.

Ramirez said his property, where he has lived for about a decade and which overlooks the Port of Los Angeles, gets windy at night.

The manufacturer also warns potential customers that they may face zoning restrictions and need a building permit – but Ramirez said he was unaware he should seek city permission.

He erected the large, tapered metal pole that supports the turbine more than two years ago, placing a U.S. flag at the top, he said.

“I wanted the city, the neighbors, the police and pedestrians passing by to get used to the pole,” Ramirez said.

But after the turbine blades went up in mid-March, the city received complaints. City inspectors visited Ramirez’s home last week and found multiple problems with the electrical system, the concrete foundation and other issues.

In a letter issued April 16, they deemed the turbine unsafe and told Ramirez to lower the turbine until “corrections” could be made.

Ramirez has responded to the city’s concerns by placing gold-lettered signs on his property, inviting residents and students at nearby Miraleste Intermediate School to take tours. The signs have also been cited as code violations.

Al Arbelaez, a contractor who helped Ramirez install the turbine, acknowledged some flaws. He said the project constituted “R & D” (research and development).

“We were learning on this project,” said Arbelaez, a cousin of Ramirez’s.

Meanwhile, Ramirez has generated a bit of a following. During a reporter’s visit last week, several fans of the turbine stopped by to show support for Ramirez.

“He’s basically a pioneer,” said Darryl Ault, a Lomita resident and solar energy advocate who was inspired to knock on Ramirez’s door after spotting the turbine.

Ault called a local television news station earlier this month to bring attention to his friend’s situation.

“Here we have a country, the President of the United States, saying do everything you can to go green,” Ault said. “And Rancho Palos Verdes said no.”

Ramirez has not yet lowered the turbine, though he said he intends to do so.

“We need this type of energy for every American,” Ramirez said. “We’re educating the city about what is new.”

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